Somewhere Among (A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book, 2016) by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu is such a good book. It’s told in verse and the sparse language works so well.
Ema has a Japanese father and an American mother. Usually, she gets to spend the end of the summer in California with her mom and Grandpa Bob and Nana. But this year, her mother is expecting a baby and needs rest, so beginning in June, she and Ema will stay with Jiichan and Obaachan in western Tokyo. And it’s not going to be easy–especially with Papa working so far away. Then shortly after school starts, the whole world changes with the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
Listen to Ema herself:
At home
with Mom and Papa
I am
between
two cultures
two languages
two time zones
every day.
Everywhere I go
here or there
I am different.
Doesn’t that just pull your heartstrings?
Read about the author and her family here.
Tag: diverse
The Sun Is Also a Star
The Sun Is Also a Star (Delacorte Press, 2016) by Nicola Yoon is an impactful book that covers a very short time period in the two protagonists lives. The book is mainly told from the viewpoints of two teens from immigrant families. We also get some insight with viewpoints of some other characters.
First, we meet Daniel who feels like he has to accept his destiny and become a doctor because his oldest brother has screwed up. Daniel’s family is from Korea.
Then we met Natascha who is angry at her father. Her mother says she should give up on trying to keep them in America. Her little brother thinks Jamaica will be better.
The two meet on the day Natascha’s family is being deported and the day Daniel is being interviewed for Yale. And what an amazing, frustrating, busy day they have. These two couldn’t be more different. One is a romantic, the other a scientist–you’ll have to read it to see which is which.
How could a story like this have a satisfactory ending? Well, it does.
This book is a National Book Award Finalist, Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and New York Times Best Seller.
Nicola’s unofficial bio makes me smile. I haven’t yet read her book Everything, Everything. I hope she keeps writing.
The Reader (Book One of Sea of Ink and Gold)
The Reader (Book One of Sea of Ink and Gold) (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2016) by Traci Chee is a compelling fantasy told in multiple viewpoints and with stories within the story.
And isn’t that a lovely cover?
Here’s a brief overview:
Sefia has a precious item that someone is trying to find. She and Auntie Nin have been on the run for six years after Sefia’s father was murdered and now Nin has been taken. Sefia is determined to find her. On her own she risks looking at the rectangular object she carries and is disappointed to see that is only paper with scribbles. Through hard study she finally deciphers a line of the squiggles: “This is a book.” After she realizes book is the name of the rectangle object, it hits her that everything she sees might have a sign too. Knowing the book has answers to the death of her father and where Nin is, Sefia teaches herself to read it. The cover of the book has a symbol which Sefia uses as a map on her dangerous journey.
We have glimpses into other viewpoints, Lon and Tanin, but it takes a while before we understand how they are connected to Sefia.
I feel inadequate describing the magic of this story. It’s unusual, mysterious, heartbreaking, wonderful.
I’m really looking forward to The Speaker, book 2.
The Reader is author Traci Chee’s debut book and has become a NY Times bestseller. You can read all the starred reviews here and see the covers of the five translations.
Traci’s bio is here with links to a number of interviews.
One for the Murphys
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
If you like me missed One for the Murphys (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012) by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, run get the book. It is so good.
It’s pretty scary for twelve-year-old Carley Connors to be placed in a foster home with the Murphy family–total strangers. It’s always been her and her mom until just over a year ago when Mom married Dennis. And now because of physical abuse by her step-father, she’s here and her mother is in the hospital. Her mom has taught her not to cry, not to be afraid, but she can’t help shaking.
Living with the Murphys, Carley finds out that her old life had a lot wrong in it. Of course, she misses her mother and is sure she won’t be staying long. But life is full of surprises for Carley and she grows to like her foster family. So what will happen when it’s time to leave?
Author Lynda Mullaly Hunt has created such a believable sympathetic character–she had me aching for Carley and her situation. The book has won awards and been put on many lists. Go here to see all.
Because foster kids often don’t have any books, Lynda has started Book Train to get books into their hands.
I’ve already recommend Lynda’s book Fish in a Tree here.
A Time to Dance
A Time to Dance (Nancy Paulsen Books Penguin Random House, 2014) by Padma Venkatraman is a novel in verse that takes one directly to life in India. Veda has a passion for dance, Bharatanatyam dance specifically. Not that her mother approves. And now that she’s won the competition her career can really start off. But a tragic accident takes the teen’s right leg below the knee. How can she still dance with only one leg?
The story is inspirational as we accompany Veda on her journey of recovery. What Veda says sums it up, “…dance isn’t about who you are on the outside. It’s about how you feel inside.”
I love what Padma says on her blog about books being more than mirrors or windows–read it here. You can hear Padma herself on her website in the Q&A section, plus there are TV interviews here.
I already recommended Padma’s book Island’s End here. Her first novel, Climbing the Stairs, is set during WWII.